Casting Through Anti-Magic?

[ControlFreak]

This question came up in my game the other night:

If a spell does not specifically say that it follows a "path" to its destination, can it be cast through an antimagic field?

For example, a Beholder has it's eye open and is covering the hallway where the pc's are. The group has put an item with Continual Light in the cone's area so that they can tell if the Beholder closes its eye or otherwise redirects the cone. A wizard in the group wants to summon an elemental in a part of the room he can see that is past the cone's area.

Does the spell work?

ControlFreak

 

[Forrester]

This question came up in my game the other night:

If a spell does not specifically say that it follows a "path" to its destination, can it be cast through an antimagic field?

For example, a Beholder has it's eye open and is covering the hallway where the pc's are. The group has put an item with Continual Light in the cone's area so that they can tell if the Beholder closes its eye or otherwise redirects the cone. A wizard in the group wants to summon an elemental in a part of the room he can see that is past the cone's area.

Does the spell work?

ControlFreak

Whether an AM field blocks "line of effect" is an excellent question. I don't believe there is anything in the rules suggesting that it does, but I could certainly appreciate that interpretation.

Meaning that I believe that the rules, as they stand, suggest that his spell should work -- but I could hardly jump on a DM for ruling otherwise.

 

[Artoomis]

Well,

Line of Effect: A line of effect is a straight, unblocked path that indicates what a spell can affect. A line of effect is canceled by a solid barrier. It's like line of sight for ranged weapons, except it's not blocked by fog, darkness, and other factors that limit normal sight.

Line of effect is certainly not affected directly. This is a matter of interpretation.

Here's a couple of sentences form Antimagic Field:

An invisible barrier surrounds the character and moves with the character. The space within this barrier is impervious to most magical effects, including spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities. Likewise, it prevents the functioning of any magic items or spells within its confines.

An antimagic field suppresses any spell or magical effect used within, brought into, or cast into the area, but does not dispel it. Time spent within an antimagic field counts against the suppressed spell's duration.

It looks to me like it would not block the line of effect, so you could indeed cast a spell from one side of it to the other. Of course, you'd have to be out of its area of effect to be able to acst.

 

[hong]

I suppose it all turns on whether a line of effect counts as a "magical effect". Personally, I'd rule that it does, for the purposes of being suppressed by an AMF.

 

[Artoomis]

I suppose it all turns on whether a line of effect counts as a "magical effect". Personally, I'd rule that it does, for the purposes of being suppressed by an AMF.

Of course, most of these spell effects are then "unsuppressed" when they move out of the anti-magic filed. That's why I think it works, and the antimagic field does not block the line of effect.

But it's fairly reasonable to block it, too. It just does not seem to be the intent from the language as written.

 

[hong]

Of course, most of these spell effects are then "unsuppressed" when they move out of the anti-magic filed. That's why I think it works, and the antimagic field does not block the line of effect.

Here's a related question, then. Does an AMF stop a magic missile spell from working, if you cast it at a creature on the opposite side?

 

[ControlFreak]

Here's a related question, then. Does an AMF stop a magic missile spell from working, if you cast it at a creature on the opposite side?

My feeling on spells like Magic Missile and Fireball .. that are "missiles" .. was that they wouldn't work. I also ruled that the summon spell wouldn't work, but we had to end mid-combat and I promised to ask here.

ControlFreak

 

[Artoomis]

Here's a related question, then. Does an AMF stop a magic missile spell from working, if you cast it at a creature on the opposite side?

It's the same question, really. Either you have a line of effect or you do not.

 

[hong]

It's the same question, really. Either you have a line of effect or you do not.

Well, yes. I wanted to see if looking at things from a different angle might change things.

Actually, no. Your interpretation of LoE would seem to imply it's an instantaneous thing -- the fact that it "cuts out" in the middle doesn't matter to the end effect, which is that it still works. Would you rule that the same thing happened with a magic missile, which travels from one side of the AMF to the other?

 

[ControlFreak]

It's the same question, really. Either you have a line of effect or you do not.

I have to disagree here .. it's a wholly magical effect, so once it hits the antimagic field .. if it winks out then it is gone. The only way it could come back is if eventually the beholder closes its eye .. and then the spell would pick up where it left off .. but I'm still thinking the spell would die when it hit the field.

ControlFreak